Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home PC KT MP (1903 - 1995)

Born 2 Jul 1903 in Mayfair, London, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Hester (Alington) Douglas-Home — married 3 Oct 1936 in Durham Cathedral, Durham, England, United Kingdom

Died 9 Oct 1995 at age 92 in Coldstream, Scottish Borders, Scotland, United Kingdom

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Biography

Alec Douglas-Home PC KT MP is a member of Clan Douglas.

Lord Alec Douglas-Home was a member of the aristocracy in British Isles.

Alec Douglas-Home PC KT MP is Notable.

Alexander Douglas-Home was born on 2 July 1903 in Mayfair, London, United Kingdom.
He was the first of seven children of Charles Douglas-Home Lord Dunglass (the eldest son of the 12th Earl of Home) and his wife, Lady Lillian Lambton (daughter of the 4th Earl of Durham).
His first name was customarily abbreviated to "Alec". Interestingly, The word ""Home" in his name is pronounced "Hume". He became Baron Home "of The Hirsel" which was the Home Family Seat.

In 1918 his grandfather, the 12th Earl of Home, died and his father became the 13th Earl of Home. As his heir, Alec became known by the courtesy title of Lord Dunglass until 1951, when his father died and he succeeded him as 14th Earl of Home. He subsequently renounced the peerage in 1964 when he became Prime Minister as successor to Harold Macmillan and was elected to a vacant seat in the House of Commons. He retrieved his seat in the House of Lords after the second general election of 1974 when he retired as a MP and was given a life peerage.^[1]

Education
Alec was educated at Ludgrove School, followed by Eton College where he entered as a new boy in the Summer Half 1917^[2]. After Eton, he went to Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated with a third-class honours BA degree in modern history in 1925.

He was a talented sportsman. In addition to representing Eton at Fives, he was a capable cricketer at school, club and county level, and was unique among British prime ministers in having played first-class cricket.

At first-class level he represented the Oxford University Cricket Club, Middlesex CCC and MCC. Three of his first-class games were internationals against Argentina on the MCC "representative" tour of South America in 1926–27.

Marriage

Alexander (Alec) Frederick Douglas-Home, Lord Dunglass, Baron Home of the Hirsel, married Elizabeth Hester Alington, daughter of the famous headmaster of Eton Cyril Argentine Alington (1872-1955), on 3 Oct 1936 in Durham, County Durham, England, United Kingdom. ^[3]

CHILDREN:

1. Lady Lavinia Caroline Douglas-Home1 b. 11 Oct 1937
2. Lady Meriel Kathleen Douglas-Home+1 b. 27 Nov 1939
3. Lady Diana Lucy Douglas-Home+1 b. 18 Dec 1940
4. David Alexander Cospatrick Douglas-Home, 15th Earl of Home. b. 20 Nov 1943

In 1924 he was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Lanarkshire Yeomanry (Territorial Army), then promoted Captain in 1928, and Major in 1933.

Parliamentary Service
He entered Parliament when he was elected as a Unionist MP (as the Conservatives were called in Scotland between 1912 and 1965) for the constituency of Lanark in 1931. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, (1937-40) and remained his PPS after Chamberlain resigned as Prime Minister and was replaced by Winston Churchill. He automatically left the House of Commons and joined the House of Lords in 1951 on inheriting the title of Earl of Home. During the 1950s, he served as Commonwealth Secretary and held positions of Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council. In 1963, he was elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, serving until 1964 and was also First Lord of the Treasury, (1963-64). After his term, he went on to serve as Foreign Secretary (1970-74).

Retirement Years
In retirement, he published his autobiography, “The Way the Wind Blows” (1976), also “Border Reflections: Chiefly on the Arts of Shooting and Fishing” (1979) and “Letters to a Grandson” (1983).

Death

Lord Alexander (Alec) Frederick Douglas-Home passed away on 9 Oct 1995 at "The Hirsel" at Coldstream, Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. He was buried in Lennel Kirkyard, Coldstream, Berwickshire, Scottish Borders, Scotland, United Kingdom. ^[4]

• Space Page: List of Prime Minister of England and United Kingdom. (https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Space:List_of_Prime_Ministers_of_England_and_United_Kingdom.&public=1)

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: Alec_Douglas-Home (accessed 17 Apr 2022)
2. ↑ New Boys, Alphabetical School List for the Summer School-Time, Eton College Chronicle No. 1610 May 16, 1917 page 224 (Eton College Archive) (accessed 17 Apr 2022)
3. ↑ Marriage Entry: Alexander (Alec) Frederick Douglas-Home married Elizabeth Hester Allington on 3 Oct 1936 in Durham, County Durham, England, United Kingdom. Citing this Record: "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV86-DRRW : 8 October 2014), Alexander F Douglas Home and null, 1936; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1936, quarter 4, vol. 10A, p. 783, Durham, Durham, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
4. ↑ Death/Burial Entry: Alexander (Alec) Frederick Douglas-Home died 9 Oct 1995 at "The Hirsel" at Coldstream, Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. Citing this Record: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVV9-1X1F : 26 July 2019), Alec Douglas-Home, 1995; Burial, Coldstream, , Scottish Borders, Scotland, Coldstream; citing record ID 11442, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11442/alec-douglas-home

• ThePeerage.com: Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel
• Wikidata: Item Q128976, en:Wikipedia